Solution to river pollution sought<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): An environmentalist said the government should
\nsettle the long-standing pollution problem in the Ciujung River,
\nSerang, West Java, or risk "erosion of the public trust".<\/p>\n
The measures the government has taken are inadequate to stop
\nthe pollution and companies located near the river continue to
\ndump toxic waste into the water, Mas Achmad Santosa from the
\nIndonesian Center for Environmental Law (ICEL) said yesterday.<\/p>\n
The contamination in the river that local residents use for
\nvarious purposes worsens during the dry season when the flow is
\nsubstantially reduced, he said.<\/p>\n
Villagers in Pamarayan, Kragilan and Pontang and Tirtayasa use
\nthe river water for daily activities like washing and drinking.<\/p>\n
After villagers reported the pollution to the State Minister
\nfor Environment two years ago, the government has taken a series
\nof actions which did bring some results.<\/p>\n
"But earlier this year, the problem got serious: The Ciujung
\nRiver was again heavily polluted by industrial waste from nearby
\ncompanies," Santosa said.<\/p>\n
Following complaints from local people, the West Java
\nauthorities examined the water in the river in October 1992 and
\nconcluded that PT Indah Kiat continued dumping used oil and other
\nwaste into the river, he said.<\/p>\n
In December 1992, PT Fega, a shrimp pond company, reported to
\nthe Office of the State Minister for Environment and the Agency
\nfor Environmental Impact Management (Bapedal) that it was
\naffected by the pollution.<\/p>\n
In response to PT Fega's complaint, the government formed two
\nteams in charge of monitoring and controlling pollution in the
\nriver. They then probed the case but local people did not have
\naccess to the results of the investigation, Santosa said.<\/p>\n
Santosa said that the teams were formed to settle the problems
\namong PT Fega and the polluting industries, but "not for the
\nbenefit of the local people and traditional shrimp farmers."<\/p>\n
"The efforts (to settle the pollution problem) without
\ninvolving the local people are doomed to discourage public
\nparticipation in the environmental management," Santosa added.<\/p>\n
A survey conducted by the Center for Fishery Research and
\nDevelopment of the Agriculture Ministry last year showed that the
\nwaste dumped by polluting companies in the Ciujung River was in
\nfact toxic chemicals.<\/p>\n
Santosa said ICEL sent a letter to the Serang regent last
\nmonth calling for a thorough settlement of the problem, but he
\nhad not given any response.(sim)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/solution-to-river-pollution-sought-1447893297",
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